Forget 'Fifty Shades' — this indie film is way sexier

If you thought "Fifty
Shades Of Grey" was the first film of the year to explore an
unconventional sexual relationship, you would be wrong.

The plot of "The Duke of Burgundy" reads like a more
gender-liberal take on "Fifty Shades" — it traces the
sadomasochistic relationship between the dominant Cynthia and her
submissive Evelyn. It's refreshing to see a film of this ilk
starring two women, because most films depicting sexual fantasy
tend to go a more traditional route.

Unlike "Shades," which takes
nearly an hour to get to the nitty-gritty, "Burgundy" features
its characters' extreme tastes right from the start and doesn't
let up until the end credits roll.

The relationship on screen in "Burgundy" parallels that in "Fifty
Shades" in only the most basic ways. Both films feature kinky
sex, safe words, and one partner questioning the sexual decisions
she has made.

In "Fifty Shades," billionaire Christian Grey is all about
control — this is his world, and we're just living in it. There's
a more methodical yet unexplained air surrounding Cynthia and her
sexual deviancy that is explored during the sequences outside of
the bedroom. There's a lot bubbling beneath the psychological
surface here, which is something I can't say about "Fifty Shades"
with a straight face.

Chiara D'Anna as Evelyn in
one of Strickland's gorgeously composed shots.YouTube

"Burgundy's" visual style is its greatest asset, and there's
plenty of meaning to be derived from the juxtaposition of images
on screen. The "plot" is minimal in that the movie is about their
relationship and nothing more, but writer/director Peter
Strickland takes this material and runs with it, weaving a
thought-provoking, engaging mind game in the process.

The kinks in "Burgundy"
are far more bizarre than the blasé whips,
belts, and ropes in "Shades."

Strickland has a unique flair
for visuals that somehow renders the abnormal perfectly prim and
proper. The audience should be gasping aloud when Evelyn
enters a bathroom for a very specific "shower" scene, but it's so
artfully shot and tastefully presented that the intimate moment
feels completely healthy and normal in context. It's an
impressive (and rare) feat for a director to command the space
well enough to make an audience enjoy something completely out of
their comfort zone.

Evelyn does whatever
Cynthia orders her to do.YouTube

By comparison, "Fifty Shades" is far more on the nose and lacks
any and every subtlety that "Burgundy" employs. The
characters speak in stiff, unnatural quips that garnered more
chuckles from the audience than genuine intrigue. The audience
laughed plenty during "Burgundy," but only when it was
appropriate and always "with" it, never "at" it.

"The Duke Of Burgundy" takes domineering control over the viewer
right away, while "Fifty Shades" just flounders, lying limp,
submitting to the horrid exchanges found in the book with no
intention of elevating it.

"The Duke of Burgundy" is now playing in select cities and
available on VOD via cable providers. You can also pre-order the
film on
iTunes.